Deteriorate
by Pres.Vanellope-Von-Schweetz
Summary: 15 year old Sophie has seen the worst of 12 years, in her perspective. Turning to self-mutilation is just making it worse. But when the Guardians get involved, and discover what happened in those 12 years, they may be able to save Sophie's life before it's too late.
1. Prologue

**Hey boys and Squirrels. This is my first Rise of the Guardians fanfiction story, so please don't blame me if this is OC somewhat. I'm just gonna stop this A/N now.  
**

**(Sophie's POV)  
**

Cut, sting, wince.

My evening met these actions every night, without attempt to break the pattern. Not that I could help, as this had now become second nature to me.

_Jamie made you do this._

"No, this is all me." I said aloud, denying the thought. My own shitty life is the reason behind the mistakes. The abuse. The scars.

_This is his fault, and you know that.  
_

It wasn't. It was mine. I did nothing but hide in my room, blocking out the negatives, only to recieve more. I never talked to anyone.

I winced again, as the razor came in contact with my wrist, allowing more blood to drip. The familiar smell of copper filled the air, but I had gotten used to the scent by now.

I felt the red substance seep through my jacket that lay on the floor.

_Fuck, more things to wash.  
_

Grabbing a paper towel, I stood up and wobbled a bit, but managed to regain my balance. I wrapped the paper towel around the mutilated area, and desperately searched for a roll of gauze.

After my eyes scanned the medicine cabinet, I reached to the back, my hand grasping the bandage. To my delight, it was a new roll.

Luckily, I had been taught how to correctly use gauze in health class. It was too stiff when I tested it, however, and I removed a few layers.

_Sophie… He did this to you. Just admit it. You know you want to.  
_

I ignored it. Jamie had nothing to do with this.

_He has everything to do with it. He ruined your life, your own brother._

I ruined my life. Not Jamie.

_It was Jamie.  
_

It wasn't Jamie.

_If it wasn't, then answer something.  
_

I stopped and listened.

_Why is there a wedge between you two?_

**Alright, that's the prologue! I hope you enjoyed. Also, we're going to see what Jamie did that made Sophie start cutting soon, and it's really heartbreaking.**

**Also, I'm going to be starting a new series soon called "The Guardians React". If you've seen "Kids React", "Teens React", or "Youtubers React", you'll know what the series is about. So, can you reviewers do me a favor, and go vote in the poll on my profile? It would be really helpful. **

**See you with the new chapter next Sunday! :D**


	2. Chapter 1

_Somwewhere in Burgess..._

"Yeah ha!"

Jack Frost smiled as he flew through the placid air, leaving frost and snow wherever he passed.

The young spirit had just left the home of Jamie Bennett. The brunette teen had never stopped believing. And Jack would protect him with his life.

It had been so long since he helped the winter spirit- helped him defeat Pitch Black, along with North, the Easter Bunny, Sandy, and Tooth. Twelve years to be exact.

Without him it would've been the dark ages all over again.

As Jack flew, with no destination in mind, he thought over some things.

He had repeatedly visited Jamie.

But not Sophie. In fact, he hadn't seen her since she was Nine.

Jamie never talked about her. The only time he did was a few years ago, when he told Jack she moved to her father's house in Tampa, Florida, but never the reason.  
**(A/N: Just so you know, the Burgess I chose was in South Carolina.)**

Jack did miss her, he was sure of that. But he was just so curious as to why Jamie never mentioned her in their little chats. It was almost as if he was uncomfortable with talking about her...

He instantly denied it, but it was obvious. Jamie didn't want to talk about Sophie.

And he was determined to find out why.


	3. Chapter 2

**Merry Christmas readers! This is the new chapter of "Deteriorate" and I hope you enjoy it! Sorry the last chapter was short, however. I was getting ready to go back to my foster parent's house, and I rushed through typing it. I will edit it to be longer though. **

**Oh, one quick note. This takes place during her 8th grade school year. I don't know if I'm gonna write chapters with her at school though. It's still only a thought.**

**(Sophie's POV)**

****"Ugh..." I groaned, my body aching. Sunlight streamed through the bedroom window, and directly onto my face, causing me to squint.

I stood up and glanced at my watch, which told me it was 11:30. Johnson should be home. And probably drunk on the couch.

_See what Jamie did?_

Shut up. I'm tired of hearing that bullshit.

_Denial. That's typical._

I'm not in denial. I'm telling the truth.

_Sure you are. So was Johnson when he said he loved you._

My father does love me.

_He has a funny way of showing it._

"Sofia Bennett! Get the fuck in here!"

Crap. Johnson was up.

I shook as I slowly walked into the living room, and over to him. He grabbed my wrists tightly, and I winced.

"Where the hell were you?!" He exclaimed, still having a iron grip on me.

"I was s-sleeping, daddy."

It was all a blur as he threw me to the ground. It happened all too fast. Him leaning down and kicking me, giving me bruises, tears streaming down my face..

I was used to the pain.

"You need to stop being such a little bitch. You are to tell me where you are, every minute of the day. I don't care if you're sleeping, if you're eating, or whatever." He spat at me, putting a foot on my stomach.

"Now, get out of here. You can come back at six, and you better be back by then. Or else..."

He gave another sharp kick to my side.

His footsteps got quieter, and I heard a door slam. I sighed in relief and ran out the door, more tears rolling down my face.

Johnson had been like this since I moved in, and I took it every day of my life. Nobody ever saw my bruises, and if I ever told anyone, Johnson would literally kill me.

And there's nothing I can do about it.


	4. Chapter 3

**Season's greetings readers! Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoyed my last chapter, because this chapter is going to be long.**

**Also, Sophie is in 8****th**** grade at 15 because she was held back, just to clear that up.**

**(Jack's POV)**

"Frostbite's here, mate."

I had no reaction as I flew into North's workshop.

I had a blank stare, as I felt something wasn't right. Not with Jamie, not with me...

But someone I knew. I couldn't figure out whom, though.

The soft carpet touched my feet, and I sighed, tiredly. Looking up at the four spirits standing before me, I felt anxiety and worry.

"Jack!" Tooth exclaimed, hugging me. I returned the hug, and tried to smile, which failed.

Bunnymund immediately noticed this. "Hey, mate, you feeling alright?"

My shoulders tensed up. "Uh… Yeah. I'm good."

North looked at me with wide eyes.

"Jack, what is wrong? You seem very… 'Out of It' as they say."

"I-I'm fine…"

"You don't seem like it." Bunnymund stated.

I broke free from Tooth's hug, and gripped my staff tightly.

"I said I'm fine!" I slammed my staff down.

I was about to say something else, until I noticed something peculiar on the globe.

One of the lights was flashing rapidly, from Burgess.

Sandy followed my gaze, then the other three, their jaws dropping in shock.

"What's wrong with the little ankle biter?"

"It is not Sophie… it is Jamie." North corrected solemnly. I looked down.

"It can't be Jamie. I just visited him, and he was fine."

"Maybe it's Sophie." Tooth said.

_Sophie… We haven't seen her in years. Nobody knows where she is, what became of her, or anything about her. It has to be Jamie._

"It's Jamie; it has to be him…" I trailed off.

Sandy nodded in agreement. Why would Sophie suddenly be in trouble, after all these years?

We all exchanged glances.

"Everyone, get to the sleigh!" North exclaimed.

**Alright. This wasn't one of my **_**best **_**chapters. I have trouble with the Guardian's POV's, so please ignore it if it isn't in character. **

**To review, or not to review? That is the question!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Greetings again readers! Two chapters in one day! I'm on a roll.**

**(Jamie's POV)**

_Jamie..._ _I know you believe in me…._

My head snapped up, looking at my bedroom wall.

No, I don't believe in you. You were chased by your dreams, twelve years ago.

_You do believe in me. You would never hear me if you didn't._

You're just a voice, you don't exist.

_C'mon, Jamie. You know I exist just as much as Jack Frost._

Jack is a good guy, unlike you.

_But I gave him his memories, Jamie._

This resulted in the Guardians booting him out, asshole.

_Language, Jamie._

I was startled by the noise of my window shaking, and I looked toward it to see Jack, North, Bunnymund, Sandman, and Tooth enter my room.

"Jamie!" Tooth exclaimed, clutching me tightly. "Thank goodness you're alright! We were so worried."

"Mostly Tooth." Bunnymund muttered under his breath.

"Jamie, your light, it was flashing on the globe." North stated.

"What? Nothing's wrong with me!" I exclaimed.

"We can see that." Jack said. "Is it Sophie?"

"No, she moved a few years ago. She isn't even in Burgess, she's in Florida!" I look at each of the Guardian's faces, and felt a lump in my throat.

Even though I hadn't talked to her in a while, I still cared about her…

"You can try the snow globe…" Jack said.

"What?" Tooth questioned.

"The snow globe, you can use it to get to her house."

"Why did I not think of that before?" North face palmed.

"Can I come with you guys?" I asked.

The five turned to look at me.

"Can I? I haven't seen her in years."

"Alright. But be careful, mate." Bunnymund said.

"Sweet!"

**Again, not one of my best chapters. But, Merry Christmas!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Aloha readers! Sorry for not updating since Christmas… I got tied up in a lot of stuff. (Such as, I can relate to Sophie right now, her issues, that haven't shown up in the story yet…) I hope you guys had a merry Christmas, a happy new year, and I hope y'all have a sweet valentines day! Now, on to the story!  
_**

**(Sophie's POV)**

I screamed in frustration, as I held a pillow over my face, all my feelings being flooded into the atmosphere. Thomas had kicked me out the door a few hours earlier, and once I came back, I was greeted with more bruises.

It wasn't his fault, though. Ever since he and my mother divorced, he's been drinking a lot more, especially once I moved in. I've tried to get him to stop, which has only resulted in him getting even more pissed at me. After that, I decided to just back off.

If he really cared, he would actually accept my help, instead of pushing me away. Whenever he's sober, he's told me if I ever spoke to anyone about his "Problems", I would be punished.

_At least he's realized it's a problem, _I think to myself as I rub the scars across my arms.

I look to the anti-depressants on my desk, wondering if I should take them, and I weigh out the pros and cons of it.

_Pro, I get away from Thomas' abuse._

_Con…_

That's the thing. I just can't finish that sentence anymore. So, I'm done.

I got up off of my bed, and walked over to my desk. Opening it, I took out a pen and a notebook, along with the pills. I quickly went to my closet, sliding down the wall, and began writing.

_Dear everyone,_

_I'm sorry, but I just cannot put up with anything anymore._

_I really have tried and tried, but it's too much for one girl to handle. So, here I go._

_Dear mom,_

_I love you so much, and I'm sorry this happened. Please don't think this is your fault. It's not anyone's fault, just mine. Take care of Jamie for me._

_Dear Thomas,_

_Even though you are my father, I cannot see you as anyone else besides the monster that would physically and mentally hurt me night after night. Goodbye._

_Dear Jamie,_

_You know that I love you from the bottom of my heart, and that I would do anything to protect you. We haven't talked in years, but you are the best little brother that I have ever had. I love you._

My hand shook violently as I began to unscrew the bottle's cap, but I stopped as I heard a tapping noise. Quickly, I hid the pills in a pile of laundry and stuffed the note in my pocket as I exited the closet.

As I saw the face in the window, my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

It was Jamie.


	7. Chapter 6

All I could do was stare for a long moment. Jaime… And…who was that behind him? I opened the window to see people from my childhood I thought I'd left behind a long time ago…but I could still see them, so perhaps I was wrong.

Santa, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman, Jack Frost…the Easter Bunny. All of them were here…and so was…

"Jamie…?" I breathed shakily. I barely believed what I was seeing. Maybe the idea of what I'd been about to do was too much for my already-fragile sanity. Jaime…I hadn't seen him in years… Why would he show up now, especially when…no, this was not his fault!

For all intents and purposes, Jaime's composure hadn't kept up well either. His hair was disheveled, either from just getting out of bed or the ride through the portal (or both), and his mouth was hanging open at the sight of his sister. He was a little pale, too, nervous. And his eyes… They were so much more…open. Happier, more vibrant.

For a split second, I felt resentment toward him. At least he'd gotten to have a childhood after I left! But then, as quickly as it came, it faded. For there was something else in his eyes, too—guilt, maybe fear, definitely pain.

So maybe…maybe I didn't blame him so much… Maybe…maybe things could be okay between us, after all…

And that was when my Father started pounding up the stairs.

My eyes widened fearfully as my neck snapped to look at Jamie again, the blood rushing from my face. I scrambled over to them, already shaking violently.

"You have to go! Make another portal back home!" I told them, trying to push Jamie back the way they'd come. But Jamie would have none of it. He fought me all the way before finally spinning on his heel and forcing his way into my personal space. "Why are you acting so weird?! It's just Dad! Come on, Soph! We finally get to see each other after such a long time, and you want me to leave?! What's really going on here?" Stubborn brown eyes locked on blue, and a voice inside Jamie urged him to listen. He'd never seen Sophie so serious, so scared. He huffed and replied, "Fine," he raised his index finger, "but we're going to hide, not run!"

"Okay, whatever! Just get out of sight!" My eyes darted around the room frantically. "There!" I cried, pointing at my closet. Shoving all the Guardians and Jamie inside was a tight fit, but it would have to do. "Stay put until I tell you! Jamie, that goes double for you!"

In the seconds of silence that followed, the six of them exchanged worried glances as best they could. This certainly wasn't the Sophie they remembered. Granted, it had been several years, and she was a long-fledged teenager now, but they hadn't expected Bunny's little ankle-biter to change this drastically. It was—

"Sophia! Where the hell are you, you little bitch?!" a furious voice bellowed, words slurring messily, only for the door to fly open and ricochet off the wall a moment later. Jamie's eyes widened, and he had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep his sharp gasp from being heard. Dad…?!

Johnson loomed over me, fists clenched and eyes wild with drink. I trembled like a baby bird at the mercy of a feral cat, licking my dry lips before replying, "R-right here, Daddy! I haven't left the house all day, I—!"

A hard slap cut me off, and I fell back on my bed. Raising a hand to my burning cheek reflexively, I cringed when Johnson reached for that same wrist and squeezed painfully. "Don't lie to me, you whore! You've been out with your boyfriends all day, haven't you? You're such a slut!"

He kicked me in the stomach a few times, keeping an iron grip on my arm so I couldn't get away. One particularly forceful kick knocked the wind out of me, and when I gasped for breath, he yanked me to my feet so I was almost nose-to-nose with him. "Dad-dy…?" I stuttered.

He threw me across the room, into the wall closest to the closet where Jamie and the others hid. He stomped over, and I curled into a ball, ready to take whatever else he had for me.

But then, he stopped, almost as if he sensed that we weren't alone, and I froze. He leaned down to my level and whispered straight in my ear, "You'll stay up here until I say otherwise, understand? I hear a peep out of you, and I'll make you wish you were never born!"

Those words set my heart on fire. I opened my eyes to look straight in his and spat, "Like I don't already, you drunk, worthless bastard!"

I regretted that straightaway. His face twisted into a dark sneer, and he drew me up by my long hair to slam me against the wall. When I caught sight of his murderous expression, my heart beat quicker in my chest than it ever had.

"You'll find out what it's like on the other side real soon if you don't control that tongue of yours!" he threatened, his voice almost inaudible (and somehow, that just made it all the worse).

That's one way to do it, Soph…


End file.
